Senator John W. Mannion’s legislation to protect pregnant women from dangerous viral infection that’s a leading cause of birth defects is signed into law

SYRACUSE, NY – Senator John W. Mannion today announced ‘Elizabeth’s Law,’ his legislation protecting those most susceptible to cytomegalovirus (CMV) - the leading viral cause of congenital birth defects - has been signed into law.

‘Elizabeth’s Law’ (S6287C) was inspired by the advocacy of the Saunders family from Central New York who lost their daughter to CMV. Pregnant women working with young children in day care and similar settings are most at risk.

Senator John W. Mannion (SD-50) said, “Elizabeth’s Law is a fitting tribute to a young girl and her family that will help prevent similar tragedies in the future. The State of New York will now require that child care providers have the information and training they need to be aware of the dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus infection.”

CMV can lead to long term health problems in babies and young children including hearing loss, developmental and motor delay, vision loss, microcephaly and seizures.

Lisa Saunders, founder of NY Stop CMV and mother of Elizabeth Saunders said, "I can't thank Senator John W. Mannion and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal enough for listening to me and the other families affected by this terrible disease. All we want is to prevent this viral cause of brain damage and hearing and vision loss from happening to other newborns. As a result of this new law, women will learn the simple precautions to take to protect their pregnancies from cytomegalovirus. This is of special importance to women who have or care for toddlers during their pregnancies."

# # #